Read Think Pray is a daily reflection on the Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the previous Sunday. The idea is simply to get you - reading, thinking and praying about the scriptures you heard at your Sunday Service.

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Read Numbers 21:4-9

Read Numbers 21:4-9

4 The
Israelites left Mount Hor by the road that leads to the Gulf of Aqaba, in order
to go round the territory of Edom. But on the way the people lost their
patience 5and spoke against God and Moses. They complained, “Why
did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or
water? We can’t stand any more of this miserable food!” 6Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the
people, and many Israelites were bitten and died. 7The people came
to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Now pray to the Lord to take these snakes away.” So
Moses prayed for the people. 8Then the Lord told Moses to make a metal snake and put it on a pole,
so that anyone who was bitten could look at it and be healed. 9So
Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten
would look at the bronze snake and be healed.

Think

This is such a strange
passage - the bronze snake was eventually destroyed by Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4)
because it became an object of idolatry.

John compares this to looking
at Christ on the cross - the amazing power of knowing God's love.